Biggles and the Dark Intruder/plot
Chapter 1: No Ordinary Problem Air Commodore Raymond tells Biggles that the Air Minister is getting worried about the mysterious aircraft which seems to be coming and going with impunity. Something needs to be done, and quickly! Chapter 2: The Conference Biggles calls his crew together to collate everything they know about the mysterious intruder. Although the aircraft always managed to disappear below the radar, its tracks generally indicated a destination in Bodmin Moor in the centre of Cornwall. Biggles recalls the unsolved murder of a police constable named Harley and thinks this may be connected. He sends Algy and Ginger to do a photo-reconnaissance of the area while he and Bertie explore the moor from the ground. Chapter 3: Bodmin Moor Biggles gets friendly assistance from the Inspector at Bodmin who sends constable Redruth to show Biggles and Bertie the spot where Harley's body was found. There is nothing much to see but Biggles notices a patch of burnt heather not far away. Chapter 4: A Matter of Deduction The next morning, the aerial photos taken by Ginger and Algy are ready. Looking at them, Bertie notices that next to the patch of burnt heather is another patch of fresh young heather, lighter in colour than the surroundings. This patch must have been burnt some time ago and now the heather has grown back again. This proves that the burnings were artificial as it would be unlikely for two fires to start next to each other. Moreover the patches were long narrow strips, along the line of the prevailing wind, and seemed free of rocks and obstructions. Landing grounds for aircraft? Chapter 5: First Inspection Biggles and Bertie pose as hikers to check out the heather and they find a shepherd with a dog watching over some sheep grazing on the heather. Bertie is suspicious--the dog is not one of the regular sheepdog breeds but resembled a German watch dog. It starts to rain, so Biggles and Bertie take shelter in the ruins of an abandoned mine. The shepherd soon follows them into the ruins. The rain stops and Biggles and Bertie take their leave. Biggles is now convinced that the shepherd was trying to keep an eye on them. Walking away, he shows Bertie another startling discovery he made at the mine--there was fresh oil on the gears of the winding tackle! Chapter 6: Sinister Developments Ginger comes to pick them up. Biggles now asks Ginger to keep watch for the shepherd to see if he leaves the ruins. Ginger doesn't see him leave but then they spot a man who looks like him walking in the distance towards the main road. Could there be another exit to the mine? Biggles sends Ginger to the ruins to see if the shepherd is still there. A man in a Bentley stops to ask if Biggles and Bertie need some help but Biggles politely declines. Night falls and Ginger doesn't return so Biggles and Bertie set off in search. Chapter 7: Treed They find Ginger--he had climbed up the derrick of a mine shaft to avoid the guard dog and had been stuck there. An unfriendly man had barred his way and prevented him for leaving unless Ginger answered his questions but Biggles extricates him. Returning to Bodmin, they encounter a police road block and learn that Cracker Lewis, a violent bank robber, had escaped from Dartmoor Prison. Chapter 8: Bertie Brings News Over dinner, Bertie brings news that he has spotted the Bentley again, refuelling at Bodmin. It belongs to one Sir Humphrey Trethallan. Bertie dismisses the idea that a gentleman could be involved in shady business but Biggles is suspicious of anyone crossing the moor so they decide to check out his residence, Hallstone Towers. Chapter 9: A Shock for Biggles Biggles is right to be suspicious. At Hallstone Towers, Biggles sees Trethallan with none other than Cracker Lewis! Chapter 10: A Plan and a Problem Things are becoming serious. He leaves Bertie to watch the place while he watches the old mine. Meanwhile, Ginger is sent to report to Raymond and come back with some guns. At dawn Biggles goes to pick Bertie up from Halltone Towers but he can't be found! Chapter 11: More Surprises Later in the day, Ginger returns with Algy--the Air Commodore had insisted on sending reinforcements. They set off again for the moor but meet the Inspector and a large party of police from Bodmin. It turns out the Inspector had heard from Raymond that Cracker Lewis had been seen at Hallstone. He had just raided the place but didn't find him. Somewhat annoyed, Biggles tells him that he has jumped the gun--Lewis was just the small fish. Trethallen was the mastermind and it seemed he had been running an air service to fly escaped convicts out of the country, for a cut of their loot. The Inspector, suitably apologetic, offers to help in any way he can. Biggles expects the aircraft to come in the night and this is confirmed when a constable arrives from Bodmin with news from Raymond: the intruder is on the way. The party move to the moor to intercept. But now Ginger, who had been left to watch the landing zone, is missing, And there is a fire on the heather. Chapter 12: What Happened to Bertie The source of the fire was Bertie. He had been watching Hallstone Towers and had seen Trethallen and Cracker Lewis dividing up a suitcase of money between them. They then left the house on foot. Not wishing to lose track of them, Bertie followed and soon found that they had taken a short cut to the landing ground on the moor. Unfortunately, Bertie then fell into an abandoned mineshaft, struck his head and lost consciousness. Chapter 13: The Pit When Bertie comes to, he encounters the shepherd in the mine and he realises that the shaft he is in must somehow be connected through tunnels with the shaft near the ruins near the landing ground. The shepherd refuses to help Bertie get out of the shaft so Bertie lights a bunch of heather and tosses it up the shaft, setting a fire to the moorland above. Chapter 14: Tough Going for Ginger The shepherd thinks Bertie will burn up the whole place and flees down a tunnel, warning Bertie not to follow. Bertie is soon almost overcome by the smoke but fortunately Ginger, who haves moved to investigate the source of the fire, spots him and hauls him up with a rope made up of their shirts. Bertie is in a bad way but Ginger helps him near to the road where they are spotted by Biggles and the Bodmin inspector. A constable is detailed to take Bertie to hospital while the rest make ready to intercept the approaching intruder aircraft. Chapter 15: Enter the Intruder The aircraft lands and the pilot and Cracker Lewis are captured. Trenthallen escapes down the mine-shaft. He emerges at the bolt hole Bertie had found. Ginger, who has been watching it, manages to detain the shepherd but Trenthallen breaks free. Biggles deduces that he must be heading for Hallstone Towers--he would hardly want to leave his loot behind. Chapter 16: Exit the Master-mind Biggles and the Inspector head for Hallstone to arrest Trenthallen. At first he puts up a show of indignation. But Bertie had seen the hiding place where he he had hidden his share of Lewis' money and had told Biggles about it. Biggles opens the secret compartment and confronts Trenthallen with the illicit contents. Trenthallen pulls a gun but finds himself covered by Algy from behind. Still he does not give up and ends up shooting himself in the head. It was later also proven that his gun was the one used to murder Constable Harley, the event which brought Biggles to Bodmin in the first place. Category:Plot summaries